Luna
by Mr.Polson
Summary: A prequel to Ducan Jones' 2009 motion picture "Moon", set before the events that take place in the movie, "Luna" follows the character Sam Bell, going through his physicial and mental training as he prepares for his three year stretch on the isolated Sarang Mining Base located 950,000 miles from Earth on the surface of the Moon.
1. Home Base

**- Scene: 1 -**

"Good morning Sam, it is currently 6:00AM. You have received 3 missed calls." Informs Sam's Handy-Observant; A clock, alarm, calendar, organizer and general 'house runner' of the Bell residence.

Sam slips out of his slumber, his eyes not yet open are aware of the pale glow radiating from the fluorescent 'auto-timed' lights he had installed 3 weeks ago. A man receives a new job, with that job comes new money, with that, new, but maybe not so practical technology.

As Sam opened his eyes, his pupils are cleansed with the the bright fluorescent glow, wiping away all his dreams in a flash.

"Message 1: Good afternoon Mr. Bell, this is Dr. Anthony Shloan calling from Lunar Industries, I was just getting in touch with you regarding your Moon Base Operations training that will be commencing at 7:30AM. We were also hoping to get some more DNA tests out of the way, you know 'the sooner the better'. We will be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning, all the best and have a good night." explains the Handy-Observant

Sam starts stirring and blindly fiddling with the devices and contraptions on his bedside table.

"Sam, just turn it off" Tess say with a sulky early morning voice.

"I'm trying honey, it's just I..." Sam shifts his concentration to trying to find the right switch without turning over.

"Sam, just get up." Tess says, now getting aggravated at the situation.

"I would get up... But I like laying here with you so much" Sam says ignoring the Handy-Observant and snuggling in tighter with Tess.

"Message 2: Ah, Hello again Mr. Bell, this is Dr. Anthony Shloan... Again, from Lunar Industries, I was just calling to make sure that we are all set for tomorrow, as soon as you get in, would you mind giving us a call? Thank you." Informs the Handy-Observant.

"Didn't you call?" Tess asks.

"I was out all night with you honey, I didn't even know that I was meant to be going in today. It's the weekend for crying out loud." Says Sam as he sits up out of bed the sheets falling around his lap, he rubs his eyes and brushes his hands back through his hair.

"Message 3: -"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Sam says in hopes it will just stop.

"Sam, it's Anthony here, I hope you are having a good night, we just need you to come in tomorrow, for some tests... I guess you are out. Lunar Industries will be setting your Handy-Observant just as a fail-safe. It will be set for 6:00AM, you will be able to change it when you get back after the tests. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow, make you sure get SOME rest Sam, You've got a big day tomorrow. We'll see you then."

Sam lets out a big sigh, throws the sheets back and makes his way towards the bathroom. As he reaches the door, he trips the sensor, Elevator music begins to play and the light turn on in the bathroom Sam shields his eyes from the brightness of light bouncing off the mirrored tile bathroom floor.

Tess mumbles something to him, but he can't hear over the music. Sam clinches his fist and breaths in sharply. He breaths out slowly pausing. Calming. Sam glances at a cracked tile, Sam's reflection is split and ugly, a reminder of how he can get sometimes.

"Are you alright baby?" Tess said with a raised voice.

After a short pause, Sam replied "Yeah honey, I Just... Just got distracted. Bright lights and everything..." Sam waited for a reply

"Alright, It's ten past 6, What time did you have to be at Lunar?" Inquires Tess.

"7:30, so I better get ready, love you." The door closes behind Sam before Tess could reply. It was already to late to re-open that door. It was too late for a lot of doors to be re-opened

Sam turned off the lights and killed the music. He wanted to be alone in the dark. He wondered if this is what it would be like. He wondered just how quiet nothing could be.

Then he remembered the slick humming of the computers and the rumbling of the mock-station. It would never be quiet. 3 years of standing in a old fashion laundromat. A 24/7 laundromat in the middle of nowhere, watching the whole world go by.

"It's only 3 years" he said quietly to himself as he turned on the shower. He hopped into the little shower booth but he couldn't shut the door, couldn't shut himself off from the world anymore. Lock himself away with his thoughts, regardless, it was something Sam was going to have to get used to, so he shut the door, took a deep breath of the thick moist air and opened his mind.

He stood up against the wall section of the shower and let the water rush over him. He thought that right now he could be on the station taking a shower and he would know no difference, the water would feel the same, the darkness would be the same, the soap would be the same. When he got out, his towel would feel the same. He took comfort in knowing that while he would be so far away, it would feel just like home. Even just for a little bit. That's all he would need.

Suddenly their was a knock on the bathroom door, snapping Sam back into reality.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Who do you think?" Questioned Tess. For a second Sam was wondering what he was thinking, asking such an odd question.

"Are you okay babe?" Tess said nervously

"Yeah honey, My mind is just a million miles away" explained Sam

"Not 950,000?" Tess said cheekily.

Sam let out a small chuckle, "No, not yet." said Sam.

He looked down into the darkness as the water battered the back of his head, running down onto his face, trickling from his nose. Sam slowly turned the hot water off, feeling the slow and yet sudden shift from warm to cool and cool to cold. As if all the life had been sucked from the water and whatever remained was what ended up being Sam. He turned the cold water tap until it was just a tiny stream, dripping from the sky. Now nothing remained besides a soaked body.

"Hey honey, what's the time?" Sam asked with a raised voice, but no answer.

"Honey?" Sam called a little louder, but still no reply.

Sam has a sickening thought. He is already on the base. Reminding himself of home, he will open the door and hear the humming of a network of computers processing the days intakes. His work suit would be hanging near door and GERTY would be waiting outside, asking if he felt better, pretending to be just passing by EXACTLY when Sam opened the door. He felt like a fool, he was hesitant to close himself in from the Earth. Now his hand shook at the thought of opening up to the Moon. Who was he kidding, he could hear the computers humming already.

"How long have I been up here?" He wondered.

He thought what if maybe they had just forgot about him, what if the company went out of business and just left him floating up here, a human satellite, what if there was a nuclear war and he was all that was left, what if, what if, what if... What if he missed Tess? What if he wanted to go home?

He pushed the shower door open and let the steam run over everything, Sam got out of the shower, triggering the heat lights and turning Sam's personal space station into a bathroom, showing Sam the truth.

As Sam stepped towards the sink, the mirror de-fogged and all the mystery surrounding his silhouette was made clear for all to see. The time appeared in the mirror as 6:45AM. His wife's make-up scattered along the sink. Tears rolled down Sam's eyes as he filled the sink with cold water. He wiped his eyes and sunk his head into the lake he had made. He couldn't tell you why he wiped his eyes before drowning his mind in the bitterly cold water. He couldn't tell you why he was afraid he would emerge to 'Lunar Industries Sink', look into 'Lunar Industries Mirror', take 'Lunar Industries Razor Blade', cut 'Lunar Industries Wrist' and spill Sam Bell's blood.

The door swung open, causing Sam to quickly pull his head out of the sink, scraping the back of his head on the tap.

"Sam! What were you doing? It's time you got going, I have be calling you, I thought something might of happened..." Said Tess, worried.

"Worried I'd get washed down the drain?" Sam joked trying to play it off, while holding the back of his head while blood run down his wrist. Lunar Industries' blood. Sam Bell was property of Lunar Industries. So while he stood in front of the mirror, pressing a hand towel onto the back of his head, checking impatiently if the bleeding had stopped every few seconds, he thought he was glad he hadn't put on his white shirt yet. Just at that time, Tess brought in his work clothes.

"Oh my god baby! What happened" Tess Said as she ran towards the back of Sam's head.

"You're bleeding!" Tess informed Sam.

"Yeah honey, I know." Said Sam.

"Well what happened?" Tess wondered aloud. Pressing her hand over his, holding the hand towel together.

"I was just waking myself up in some cold water when you scared the daylights out of me. I pulled my head out of the sink and bumped the tap on the way." Sam Explained, smiling and looking back into the mirror into Tess's eyes. Tess looked towards the floor.

"I was calling out to you, but you weren't answering..." Said Sam, waiting for a reason.

"I put your clothes in the dryer, I must not of heard you over the humming. I was calling out to you as well, I guess you didn't hear me over the water." Explained Tess

"What we've got here is... Failure to Communicate" Sam said in his best Strother Martin impression. smiling into Tess's now brow-raised eyes.

"Cool Hand Luke? I don't think anyone else would remember that movie. You're such a geek!" teased Tess.

"Yeah, but I'm your geek..." Sam said, pulling away the Tess's hands and the hand towel again.

"The blood has finally stopped" Said Sam, excited to be able to go about his day without bleeding from his head.

"You used the new hand towel!" Tess said shocked, studying the towel as if trying to remove the blood with her mind along.

"Well yeah, it's the first thing I seen. Sorry baby, I'll bring you home a new one. Promise" Sam told Tess, while holding her arms and trying to look into her eyes, but she was looking away.

"The current time is 7:00AM" proclaimed the Handy-Observant, unaware of what a burden it was.

"If that Handy-Ob had any idea of self preservation, it would just SHUT UP" Sam said yelling at the Handy-Observant from the bathroom.

"A bit tense today sweetie?" Inquired Tess.

"It's just work, they want to run more DNA tests. My arm is going to turn into mince meat. Anthony also wants to talk, so that means more psych evaluations, he is a good guy but I feel like everything I do is a part of a test. It makes it really hard to talk to him and he is meant to be the guy to go to. I am also certain there is NO doctor patient confidentiality with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was wired" Chuckled Sam who was finishing up getting dressed.

"Well you should ask him-" Tess was cut-off.

"Ask him? I can hardly trust him, as if he is just going to come out and admit that he performs illegal activities and that I should not talk to him about anything personal. That's the whole reason he has a job. For all I know, this is just all in my mind, but maybe I should mention something sometime. Maybe he will think I am on to him and back off a little. They only have one of me, it's not like they can just upload a new me and start again. This took my whole life to get to this point." Sam smiled.

"Well, you are always telling me that you are one of a kind" Tess smiled back.

"And you've be a fool to believe me this whole time." Replied Sam has he kissed Tess for the last time in what would feel like 3 years. Every time he walked out of the door, it felt like forever. He kept wondering what it will be like when it is for 3 years. That one last kiss. Haunting him in space.


	2. Through Space & Time

**- Scene: 2 -**

Sam shut the door behind him. But he held onto the door handle for an extra 5 seconds before he broke away. As if the handle was his anchor to earth, that he would just float away without it. He took a deep breath and let go.

Today was going to be a long day, he had so much on his mind, so many thoughts. He needed to be able to talk to Anthony without it going any further than Anthony. He just needed one guy in the place that he could trust.

The hardest part was that is was the golden boy, the star attraction. He was the reason people had jobs to do every day. His journey was so many peoples journey, but only he could go. In some little way, him making it was everyone making it. He really wished it was like the old days, when they would send teams of people. But that would be a huge waste, this was a one man job and if anything went wrong, it was only a one man statistic.

Sam's hand burst open and the door got smaller and smaller every time he looked back, after a while, it was just a blip in the universe. A door on a house, it was a speck on a speck. It was Sam's future.

Sam was almost at the station. He could see it from where he was, but he could no longer see home. Every little thing meant a lot to Sam these last couple of days, everything was a sign or a metaphor. Everything related back to his impeding journey. It was all of his bottled up thoughts spilling over into his live. He needed Anthony, regardless of who that meant he would actually be telling. He couldn't go up there like this. He could hardly go to the station like this.

Sam had to start asking questions. Sam had to turn around. Mentally and physically. Mentally, Sam had to turn around, he couldn't go on like this, he needed to get himself together. Physically, Sam had to turn around, he had walked past the station 3 minutes ago.

But before any turning around could happen. Something had to happen. Mentally, he needed to have a long talk with Anthony. physically, he needed to pay attention to the jet black car that had pulled up beside him.

"Sam... You're late." Said the voice from behind the tint black window of the jet black car.

Sam snapped around and looked at the window, but all he could see was a dark reflection of himself. It looked upset. Sam was upset. Then it was broken, a million pieces glittered against the jet black back drop. Falling stars. But Sam wasn't broken. He was as strong as ever. But not strong enough to bend city lock-up steel.

He was now getting the best training simulator that he has received so far. An empty void, all steel and dull. A GERTY in a blue uniform would pass by every so often, pretending to not to be watching. All the while, Sam would sit and wonder how he even ended up here.

"Welcome to space, welcome to the moon, welcome to sarang, welcome to your tiny room... Welcome to forever."

And that is just what it felt like to Sam. A bitter taste, if he shut his eyes, he could already here the computers humming.

"Hey, you wanna' make that phone call now?" Grunted the lock-up Warden.

"No need. They always know where I am." Sam smiled at the Warden, looking right though him and 950,000 miles away.

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